Sheet-conveying machine.



T.O.DEXTER.

SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

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T. G. DEXTER.

SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

H APPLICATION FILED we. 13,1909. 957,043. Patented May 3, 1910.

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SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE, APPLICATION TILED AUG.13, 190a.

Patented May 3, 1910.

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T. c. DEXTER.

SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.13, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

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T. O. DEXTER. SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 11116.13, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

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T. G. DEXTER.

- SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIGN FILED AUG.13, 1900. Patented May 3 1910" 6 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

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TALBOT C. DEXTER, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO DEXTER FOLDER COMPANY, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SHEET-CONVEYING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1910.

Application filed August 13, 1909. Serial No. 512,708.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tanno'r C. DEXTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pearl River, county of Rockland, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Conveying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention is an improvement upon the sheet conveying mechanism covered by an application filed by me February 5th, 1909, Serial No. 470,296. In the inachine of said application, the sheet conveying surfaces for carrying successive sheets of paper from an automatic paper feeding machine to a printing press or other machine designed to operate upon them are driven by a frictional driving mechanism comprising a disk and an automatically adjustable wheel which is intermittently moved inwardly and outwardly over the surface of the driving disk for the purpose of effecting the rapid movement of the sheets during the main part of their travel from the feeder to the ress and the slowing down and quiet de ivery of the sheets to the ga es of the press.

In mac lines of this type, it will be under stood that sheet engaging and conveying devices retain hold of the sheet during the entire travel of the sheet from the feeder to the press, a feature of very great importance in accurately feeding sheets at the rapid speed required for printing machinery of today.

In my present invention, I have devised a modified frictionally driven slow down feeding mechanism in which change of speed of the sheet conveying mechanism is effected by providing on the driving shaft, two friction wheels mounted upon an adjustable section of the shaft and controlled by mechanism which intermittently and alternately moves said friction wheels into engagement with the frictional driving disk, one of said wheels engagingthe disk near the outer periphery for effecting the rapid motion of the sheet conveying mechanism, while the other of said wheels engages the driving disk near its center of rotation for effecting the slow movement of the sheet conveying mechanism.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, and afterward point out the novelty more particularly in the annexed claims.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved sheet conveying mechanism representing it in operative position between an automatic feeding machlne and a printing ress. Fig. 2 is a lan view of the same. 1 igs. 3 and 4 are en arged detail plan views showing the adjustable frictional driving mechanism in its two positions. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, of one of the frictionally driven wheels. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of the frictional driving disk. Fig. 8 is a detail transverse sectional view of a part of the mechanism for changing the speed. Fig. 9 is a detail side elevation of part of the slow down mechanism, and Fig. 10 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View of the same.

In the drawings, 1 represents a part of the feed board of an ordinary printing press mounted upon any suitable frame, such as indicated at 2, 3 a part of the impression cylinder, and 4 the ordinary press ga es. Supported in rear of the press feed board 1, are the side frames 5 of an automatic paper feeding machine, which is designed to separate and deliver sheets successively from a bank or pile. This automatic feeding ma chine of the type illustrated has a power shaft (not shown), and a main cam shaft 10, which is driven from the power shaft by suitable gearing (not shown). The cam shaft 10 and the several cams carried thereby for operating the parts of the automatic feeding machine, are fully explained in my applications Serial No. 436,637, filed June 4th, 1908, and Serial No. 442,114, filed July 6th, 1908.

The main power shaft drives a train of gears (not shown), suitably journaled upon the machine frame, and arranged to operate the frictional driving mechanism of my im proved sheet conveyor in the manner which will hereinafter be pointed out.

The conveyor frame proper comprises suitable longitudinal side bars 15 rigidly c0nnected at their ends with corner brackets 16 and 17, said bars being connected and made into a skeleton frame by the usual transverse tie rods and shafts, some of which,

forming part of the present invention, will be hereinafter referred to. The conveyer frame is pivotally mounted upon studs projecting inwardly from brackets 32- of the paper feeding machine. The forward end of the conveyer frame is usually made in adetachable section indicated at 26 which is designed to rest upon the press frame 2 as shown. This section 26 of the conveyor frame has formed in its upwardly projecting side brackets the open sockets 25 in which rest studs 27 projecting laterally from the brackets 17 of the main conveyer frame. Journalcd in depending lugs of the brackets 17 is the idler tape roller 20 which extends from side to side of the conveyer frame. The forward detachable section 26 of the conveyer frame supports the under guide slats upon which the sheets rest at the front gages of the press. This section of the conveyer frame also usually supports the side registering mechanism which is not herein described.

30 is a tape drum journal'ed in the forwardly projecting brackets of the paper feeding machine. This drum 30 drives'the endless conveyer tapes 3-5 which pass around said drum and around the idler roller 20. A series of idler pulleys (not shown) engage the under lap of the endless conveyer tapes for holding them taut. The tape drum 30' is driven from the under feed shaft of the feeding machine. in the manner well understood.

Adjustably mounted upon the pair of frame bars 15 are two carriages or journal boxes 45, only one of which is shown. These journal boxes are capable of adjustment upon the bars 15 longitudinally of the machine. Freely journaled in the journal boxes is a transverse shaft which carries a plurality, preferably two, of under feed rolls 51. Keyed tothe projecting end of the shaft 50 is a spiral gear 52, meshing with a similar spiral gear 53, adjustabl-y splined upon a longitudinally extending driving shaft 60, which extends parallel with the frame bars 15, and is journaled in the bracket arms 61, 62 and 63 projecting from frame bar 15. A bifurcated arm 45 projects from the journal box 45 and em=- braces the spiral gear 53 to cause said spiral gear to move longitudinally upon the driving shaft simultaneously with the adjustment of the journal boxes carrying the shaft 50.

For the purpose of convenience in adjusting the carriages or journal boxes 45 and parts mounted therein longitudinally of the main coneveyer frame, I form rack teeth 15 on the under surface of each frame bar 15, and journal an adjusting shaft 47 in boxes 45 and provide said shaft 47 with pinions 48 which mesh withthe rack teeth 15 A hand wheel 49 is secured to one end of shaft 47, by which said shaft may be rotated to cause the boxes 45 and parts carried thereby to be moved longitudinally of the main conveyer frame.

The driving shaft 60 is provided between the bracket bearings 62 and 63 with a shaft coupling 60 to facilitate the mounting and proper adjustment of the shaft, and to the rear of the bracket bearing 63 said driving diameter and are rigidly attached to the I shaft sect-ion so as to' rotate with it.

The adjustable shaft section between the forward frictionally driven wheel and the rear universal oint coupling 72 is freely j ournaled in: a flanged bearing block supported in: a horizontal guide slot 86 formed in the horizontally projecting bracket arm 87 extending outwardly from. the conveyor frame bar 15. The bearing block 85 is formed with an inwardly and forwardly projecting arm 88 having a reduced portion or pin 89 upon which is pivoted a link 90 extending from and pivoted to a bell crank lever 91. This bell crank lever 91 is pivoted at 92 upon a lug of the bracket 87, and has connected with its arm 91 at 93 alink 95 extending rearwai-dly and pivoted at 96- to the lower end of a rock lever 97 mounted upon a rock shaft 98 actuated by a second rock arm 99 which runs in peripheral engagement with a cam 100 upon the cam shaft 10'. A spring device 101 holds the rock arm 99 in operative relation to the cam 100. The purpose of this device will be hereinafter explained.

105 is a frictional driving disk formed of any suitable material, but preferably of aluminum. This driving disk 105 has an inwardly projecting hub 1 :06 freely journaled upon a pin 107,. which is the same pin which pivotally connects one of the brackets 17 of the conveyer frame with the bracket arm 32 of the feeder frame. The hub of the disk 105' also projects outwardly and is hollowed out as shown at (see Fig. 7 to receive an expansion spring 111 which surrounds pin= 107 and is confined within the hollow of the disk hub by means of an elongated bearing nut 112. threaded upon the pin 107 and held in desired adjusted position by clamping nuts 113 and 114 Which are also threaded upon the end of the pin 107. The 1 bearing nut 112 not only serves to confine the spring between it and the internal shoulder 110 of the hollowed-out hub portion, but is formed with a cylindrical bearing portion upon which journals the inner surface of the hollow 1.10 referred to. The bearings of the disk hub upon opposite sides of the disk serve to effectively support the disk in its vertical driving plane, and at the same time said bearings, assisted by the confined spring, permit the disk 105 suflicient freedom for rotation and for maintaining frictional contact with one of the frictionally driven wheels above referred to. The spring 111 tends to press the driving disk against one of the rubbertired wheels 80 to cause the rotation of the driving shaft (i0, it being understood that the driven wheels 80 are adapted to engage the inner surface of the driving disk 105.

The extreme inner end of the hub 10%; of disk 105 has cut into it or otherwise rigidly secured upon it a small gear or pinion 115 with which meshes a gear 110 forming one of a train of gears extending from the shaft of the tape drum 30, by which the frictional driving disk 105 is driven.

The ournal boxes or carriages 45 supporting the shaft 50 and rollers 51, are formed with upwardly projecting bracket arms in which is journaled a cross shaft 121 supporting the forwardly projecting rock arms 122 carrying in their forward ends the freely journaled friction rollers 125 which rest by gravity (or by spring pressure as may be preferred) in peripheral contact with the lower feed rollers 51 above referred to. The sheets carried forwardly from the feeding machine, pass between the rollers 51 and 125 and are thereby caused to travel at the peripheral speed of the under rollers 51.

It will be observed from the drawings that the two frictionally driven wheels or rollers 80 are aranged between the hub of the driving disk 105 and the outer periphery of said driving disk to engage the inner surface thereof. Since the shaft section 75 is pivotally mounted between the wheels 80, it will be clear that by rocking this adjustable shaft section 75 (which is permitted by reason of the connection with driving shaft (30 through the universal joints and shaft section 71), first one and then the other of said wheels 80 will be moved into frictional engagement with the driving surface of the disk 105. WVhen a sheet is passed from the automatic feeder to the conveyer tapes, it is carried between the slow down feed rollers 51 and 125, and the moment the sheet enters the control of these rollers, the forward wheel 80 is in contact with the driving disk 105 near its outer periphery, so that the slow down wheels referred to will have imparted to them their fastest speed, which is of course determined by the gearing which operates the driving disk 105. The passing sheet continues this rapid speed until its leading edge nearly reaches the feed gages of the press, at which moment the control ling cam 100 above referred to, through the mechanism described, rocks the shaftsection 75 to disengage the forward wheel 80 from disk 105 and simultaneously throw into engagement the rear wheel 80 with the disk 105. The result of this change will be the immediate slowing down of the shaft (30 to the speed of the driving disk adjacent to the hub, which of course slows down the rollers 51 and 125 to arrest the speed of the sheet and cause it to be delivered gently at the press gages. The slow down rollers are maintained at their slow speed just long enough to deliver the sheet, when, by the action of :am 100, the shaft section 75 is again rocked for resuming the rapid speed of the sheet conveying rollers in time to take the succeeding sheet.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A sheet conveyer having in combination suitable sheet conveying means, and frictional driving mechanism for said conveying means including a driving disk, a plurality of friction wheels operated by said driving disk, and means for automatically and successively moving said wheels into and out of frictional contact with said driving disk at different radial distances from the center of said disk.

2. A sheet conveyer having in combination suitable slow down sheet conveying means, a frictional driving disk, a )lurality of friction wheels operated by saitf driving disk and arranged to drive said sheet conv veymg means, and means for alternately and successively moving said friction wheels into and out of peripheral contact with said driving disk.

3. A sheet conveyer having in combination suitable sheet conveying surfaces, and frictional drivingmechanism therefor ineluding a driving disk, a shaft geared to said conveying surfaces, a plurality of friction wheels mounted upon said shaft and operated by said driving disk, and means for automatically and successively moving said friction wheels into and out of peripheral contact with said driving disk. 4. The combination of sheet conveying means, with an adjustable driving shaft, two friction wheels mounted upon said adjustable shaft, a friction driving disk, and controllin mechanism adapted to automatically ad ust said shaft to intermittently and alternately move said friction wheels into engagement with said disk.

5. The combination of sheet conveying means, with a driving shaft having an adjustable section, two friction wheels mounted upon said adjustable shaft section, a friction driving disk, and controlling mechanism adapted to intermittently and alternately move said friction wheels into engagement with said disk.

6. The combination of sheet conveying means, with a sectional driving shaft, universal joint couplings connecting the sections of said shaft to provide an adjustable shaft section, two friction wheels mounted upon said adjustable shaft section, a friction driving disk, and controlling mechanism adapted to intermittently move said adjustable s haft section to alternately move said friction wheels into engagement with said isk.

7. The combination of sheet conveying means, with a sectional driving shaft, universal joint couplings connecting the sections of said shaft, a pivoted support for one of said shaft sections to form an adjustable section, two friction wheels mounted upon said adjustable shaft section, a friction driving disk, and controlling mechanism adapted to intermittently rock said adjustable shaft section for alternately moving said friction wheels into engagement with said disk.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frictional driving disk, a shaft extending radially of said disk, two friction wheels mounted upon said shaft at diiferent distances from the center of said disk, means for intermittently and alternately moving said friction wheels into engagement with said disk, and sheet conveying means operated by said shaft.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frictional driving disk, a sectional shaft extending radially of said disk, two friction wheels mounted upon one section of said shaft at different distances from the center of said disk, means for in termittently rocking the shaft section carrying said wheels for alternately moving said wheels into engagement with said disk, and sheet conveying means operated by said sec tional shaft.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frictional driving disk, a sectional shaft extending radially of said disk, a universal joint coupling said shaft sections, a pivoted support for one of said shaft sections, two friction wheels mounted upon said pivoted shaft section at different distances from the center of said disk, and upon opposite sides of said pivoted support, means for rocking said pivoted shaft section for alternately moving said friction wheels into engagement with said disk, and sheet conveying means operated by said shaft.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frictional driving disk, a shaft extending radially of said disk, two friction wheels mounted upon said shaft at different distances from the center of said disk, means for intermittently and alternately moving said friction wheels into engagement with said disk, suitable sheet conveying means, and slow down conveying rollers arranged in the path of said conveying means and operated by said shaft.

12. In a sheet conveyer, the combination of suitable sheet conveying surfaces, a sectional shaft for operating said surfaces, a pair of friction wheels mounted upon said sectional shaft, a frictional driving disk, and cam-operated means for automatically and successively moving said wheels into and out of peripheral engagement with said driving disk.

13. In a sheet conveyer, the combination of suitable sheet conveying surfaces, with a sectional shaft for driving said surfaces, universal joint couplings arranged between the sections of said shaft, a pivotal support for one of said shaft sections, a pair of frictionally driven wheels secured upon said pivoted shaft section, a friction driving disk, a movable bearing engaging said pivoted shaft section for rocking said friction Wheels into and out of operative engagement with said driving disk, and cam-operated controlling means connected with said movable bearing.

. TALBOT O. DEXTER.

WVitnesses:

WM. E. KNIGHT, LAURA E. MONK. 

